Vehicle-seat.



J. BENSON. VEHICLE SEAT. "APPLICATION FILED DEG.1 Z,1908.

Patented 0011121909.

, fizvenaor I To all whomdt may concern:

. showing its supporting-arm and a portion kind now used extensively as auxiliary seats to use in automobiles, nor to use in vehicles,

vation' looking from the right in Fig. 1 with JUDSON' BENSON, OF AMESBUIEEY, MASSACHUSETTS.

VEHICLE-SEAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented that. 12, mos.

Application filed December 12, 1908. Serial fie. 367,1451

Be it known that I, Jonson Benson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Amesbury, in the county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Vehicle-Seats, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The inventlon is applicable to seats of the p in automobiles, and which are mounted with capacity to swing or turn horizontally upon their supports.

It consists in novel locking devices combined with a seat of such kind, for holding it from swinging out of its position for use. The said devices are constructed to auto\ matically lock the seat in the said position as it reaches the latter in being turned forward from a retracted position, and they include an unlocking device which unlocks the seatwhen the seat-proper, after being swung on its hinges into an upright position, is pressed backward. When unlocked the seat is free to beturnedaround upon its support, and it desired'may be turned into the retracted position.

The invention 18 not necessarily restricted although for convenience of explanation I herein describe the same with reference to its employment in an automobile.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which latter,-

Figure lis a-front elevation of a seat involving my invention in position for use,

of a side of an automobile. Fig. 2 is an eletheseat-proper raised in an upright position. Fig. 3' is a sectional view, looking from the left in Fig. 1, withthe seat-proper pressed farther. back than in. Fig. 2, and the locking devices thereby unlocked. Fig. t is a detail view of the vertical pivotal stud.

Having reference to the drawings-the invention is shown applied in connection with a seat of well-known character comprising the seat-proper 1 and the back 2, the latter having an iron'frame 3, the sideportions of which extend below the upholstered part of the back and are united with rearwardly-extending end-portions l, 4, ot a cross-bar 5. The seat-proper is shown hung as usual to the cross-bar by mean-rot metal straps G, 6, which are fastened to the under side of the seat-proper, these straps being in pivotal connection at 7, 7, with the said end-portions so that the seat-proper may be raised from its usual horizontal position and swung into an upright position in front of the back Q. The cross-bar 5 is provided, as heretofore, with a hearing or socket 8 fitting a vertical stud 9 upon a supportingarin 10, and the lower end thereof resting upon a shoulder 11 of the supporting-arm at the base of the stud, whereby the cross-bar and seat are supported vertically upon the supporting-arm, and are per .itted to turn horizontally around the stud. The supporting-arm is shown removably applied to a stand 12 upon a support 13., which last may be the side of an automobile, removable eugagement of the supporting-arm with the stand'being provided for by means of a tapered base-portion 14 with which the said arm is furnished, and a correspondingly tapered socket between the side-walls or flanges 15, 15, of the stand. By passing the base 1 1 downward into the socket of the stand, the supporting-arm is connected with the stand so as to be supported thereby. By raising the base out from the socket, the supporting-arm is disconnected from the stand.

In the drawings, the hinges by which the seat-proper is hinged to the horizontal bar or carrier 5 are located at or near the back edge of such seat, the seatroper having capacity to be swung upon tie hinges into an upright position when desired, and as described above the said bar is mounted upon the supporting-arm 10 with capacity to turn horizontally about an upright pivotal axis. It will be observed that the pivotal stud 9 is located nearer one end of the bar than the other thereof. When such a seat occupies its intended position for use the bar 5 thereof extends at right angles from the side of the automobile, and the back portions of the seat are well forward out of the way of the occupants of the usual fixed seats. -"Vi lien, however, the seat, is unprovided with looking devices for securing it in such position, it is liable to move with its occupant, and it may turn around so that its outer portions will strike against the knees of the occupants of the said fixed seats, or otherwise interfere with their comfort and convenience. Theturning of the hicle, or swaying and changes of speed and direction, is disagreeable and liable to nus seat or injure hi Mydevices for locking the seat in its po-" sition for use, so as to prevent it y from swinging or turning around horizontally therefrom, comprise a movable pin 16 work ing within a hole made through the wall of the bearing or socket 8 of the cross-bar, an actuating spring 17 for the said pin, and a recess 18 in the stud 9. Spring 17 is in this instance a leaf-spring which lies alongside the cross-bar and is attached thereto by one end, its other end having the locking-pin attached thereto. The spring pressesthe lock-' ing-pin inwardly, so that when the seat is turned around to the position for use, and

the locking-pin and recess are therebypre 'sented opposite each other, the pin is caused to enter the recess. While the pin'continues to occupy the recess, the engagement of the inner end of the pin with the walls of the recess prevents turning movement of the seat in a horizontal direction.

To enable the locking pin to be automatically withdrawn from the recess 18 so as to' unlock the seat, by the act of pressing the upturned seat over toward'the back 2, a pro- .piece 19 engages with the portion 20 of the spring. This enables the seat to assume the upright position, and to retain such position, while still remaining locked against turning horizontally. Continued movement of the upturned seat on its hinges, causing in. the pivotal stud. turned, around horizontally upon the said V carrier to which theseat-proper it to approach closer to the back 2, cause the pro ecting piece 19 carried by the seatproper to act upon the projecting portion 20 v of the spring, so as to bend the spring and disengage the locking from the, repless 1158 he seat may is en e' stud so as to dispose the upturned seat mobile.

'I claim as my invention 1-. The combination with a seat, a bar or flatwise' with relation to the side of the auto I carrier to which the seat-proper is hinged with capacity to be swung vertically, and; 1

Ya support on'which the said bar or carrier is-mounted with capacity to be turned horizontally, of a spring-actuated locking-device factingnormally to lock the seat from turning horizontally out of position foruse, and f a projection carried by. t he seat-proper. and caused-by the upward swinging movement of the latter to positively-"disengagethe. said to turn horizontally.

'locking-deviceso a's to render theseat-free 2. The combination with ate matt r orb with capacity to be swung verticall support on which the said bar or carrier is mounted with capacity to bej turned. 'hori'-qzont-ally, of a locking-pin adapted to engage. 1 seatfrom turning" said support to lock the horizontally out of position for use,'an aetu-f ating sprin 'for such pin, and aprojection moving wit the seat-proper and adapted in the swinging upon the spring to disengage the pin so as movement of the latter to act '80 to render the seat free to turn'horlzontally;

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature:

in presence of two witnesses. I

. H J 'SQNBENsoN.

Witnesses; j a

WARREN E. FULLER, L CE JONES. 

